Mortgage payment calculator: How much can you borrow?
HOUSEHOLDS may struggle to afford their mortgage bills if interest rates rise by 6% – it could mean people pay £7,300 more a year.
It’s important to keep up to date with payments and sums, now more than ever, as the cost of living keeps rising.
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There are mortgage calculators available that can help you work out how much you can borrow, the monthly repayments and interest.
The Pound fell sharply in value after September’s mini-Budget, which included £45billion of tax cuts to be paid for by additional borrowing.
The Bank of England then gave a very strong signal it would raise interest rates to try to prevent the weaker Pound fuelling higher inflation.
It could mean interest rates could hit 6% next year – and it could add thousands onto your home loan.
There are plenty of calculators out there to help you figure out how much you can afford on your mortgage amid the chaos.
Having an idea of how much you can borrow should help you decide what you need to save for a deposit and the type of property you can afford.
It’s also worth noting that lots of applications for credit can push down your credit score, including mortgage applications, so having a rough idea of how much you can borrow will help.
There are plenty of online calculators that let you do this without having to apply through a bank or building society.
We’ve wrapped up the best mortgage calculators, what data you have to give and how to find the best home loan:
How much can I borrow for my mortgage?
Most mortgage calculators calculate how much you can expect to borrow from the bank.
However, these are just an estimate, the actual amount will depend on the lender and circumstances.
Bear in mind that while house prices have dropped by 2.3% in November, lenders are short and interest rates are rising.
Rising rates and the cost of living crisis have meant fewer people are looking to buy a home or move home – badly impacting the housing market.
MoneySuperMarket.com – try it now
MoneySuperMarket’s calculator requires you to input how many people are purchasing the house, your income and any guaranteed bonuses.
Based off your circumstances it will tell you how much you should receive and the maximum you’re likely to be offered.
Which? – try it now
Which’s calculator asks how many people are applying and how much their income’s are.
The calculator provides an estimate of what you can afford and gives you a figure to show what your monthly repayments might be.
Barclay’s quick affordability calculator – try it now
Barclay’s calculator asks for the number of applicants, income, regular expenditure, the reason you want a mortgage and the size of your deposit.
It tells you how much you can get and gives you an overall rough property budget.
Money Saving Expert – try it now
Money Saving Expert’s calculator needs your income, guaranteed bonuses and overtime.
It will provide you with the upper range of mortgage that you may be loaned. It will also calculate how much you’d repay each month.
The calculator also highlights that your credit score can affect how much your loaned and that lenders will ask about your expenditure and debts.
Compare The Market – try it now
Compare The Market’s calculator asks for salaries and features an option to add guaranteed income. You’ll also need to provide how much deposit you have.
The calculator will predict what kind of loan you can expect and the amount you can afford to spend on a house.
Trussle – try it now
Trussle’s calculator needs your and your partner’s (if applicable) annual salary and deposit.
Trussle also features an option to add in regular monthly outgoings, meaning it will provide you with a more accurate figure to what the bank will lend you.
The calculator will also work out how much you can borrow, loan-to-value rate and the total house price you can afford.
How do you find the best mortgage deals?
WE explain how to ensure you get the best deal on your mortgage or remortgage:
Websites such as MoneySuperMarket and Moneyfacts have mortgage sections so you can compare costs. All the banks and building societies will have their offers available on their sites too.
If you’re getting confused by all the deals on the market, it might be worth you speaking to a mortgage broker, which will help find the best mortgage for you.
A broker will typically cost between £300 and £400 but could help you save thousands over the course of your mortgage.
You’ll also have to decide if you want a fixed-deal where the interest you’re charged is the same for the length of the deal or a variable mortgage, where the amount you pay can change depending on the Bank of England Base Rate.
Remember, that you’ll have to pass the lender’s strict eligibility criteria too, which will include affordability checks, and looking at your credit file.
You may also need to provide documents such as utility bills, proof of benefits, your last three month’s payslips, passports and bank statement.
How much do I need to repay monthly for my mortgage?
Banks and building societies often have thorough calculators that tell you how much they can lend to you.
Usually they will ask for more details including outgoings, credit cards and loans. They’ll also ask about how many children you have, whether you’re self-employed as well as details about bonuses and overtime.
Nationwide Building Society will ask for your date of birth and sex to help with their calculations.
Often these calculators provide a better idea of what you can afford but it’s based off the providers individual lending criteria which can vary.
Most calculator’s don’t include credit checks and won’t keep a record of your personal details so it’s worth trying a couple to see if your specific circumstances change what you can get.
Free ones include Halifax, Barclay’s, Nationwide, Santander, and NatWest.
Mortgage repayment calculators
After using an affordability calculator, you can calculate your monthly repayments with a mortgage repayment calculator.
Usually, you’ll need to know the size of the mortgage, the mortgage term (how many years it will last) and the interest rate.
If you don’t know the interest rates, the calculators typically put in a figure for you, but this is higher than the best deals on the market.
It helps you see what repayments will look like, but bear in mind you might be able to get a better rate by shopping around.
If you don’t know your mortgage term most the calculators will put in 25 years which is the usual mortgage rate.
There’s lots of these calculators out there, and they tend to be quite similar.
We recommend:
- Money Saving Expert – allows you to add mortgage fees in and shows how your debt will decrease over time.
- Money Advice Service – really simple and only asks for the deposit and house price.
- Compare the Market – the repayment calculator is linked to the affordability calculator so it fills in the information for you.
Providers also usually offer repayment calculators based on their specific lending criteria, this can be very useful when you’ve narrowed your selection down to a couple of lenders.
What help is out there for first-time buyers?
GETTING on the property ladder can feel like a daunting task but there are schemes out there to help first-time buyers have their own home.
Lifetime Isa – This is Government scheme gives anyone aged 18 to 39 the chance to save tax-free and get a bonus of up to £32,000 towards their first home. You can save up to £4,000 a year and the Government will add 25% on top.
Shared ownership – Co-owning with a housing association means you can buy a part of the property and pay rent on the remaining amount. You can buy anything from 25% to 75% of the property but you’re restricted to specific ones.
Mortgage guarantee scheme – The scheme opened to new 95% mortgages from April 19 2021. Applicants can buy their first home with a 5% deposit, it’s eligible for homes up to £600,000.
What other mortgage calculators can I use?
Affordability and repayment calculators aren’t the only calculators that can help you when buying a home, there are several others you could use.
Online tools can help you calculate stamp duty, workout how much you can save by overpaying and compare different mortgage offers.
Here’s some of the most useful ones we could find.
Money Saving Expert calculators
MoneySuperMarket calculators
- Overpayment calculator – let’s you look at one off overpayments, recurring ones and even a combination.
- Base rate calculator – shows how much your mortgage payments will be affected when the Bank of England base rate changes.
Which? calculators
Trussle calculators
- Remortgage Calculator – work out if you could save on your mortgage repayments by switching to a new mortgage deal.
There has recently been a huge shake up with mortgages, what could this mean for you.
A mortgage expert told us what you need to do now or you may face paying an extra £2,000 a year.
And over one million homeowners have been warned mortgage bills could rise by hundreds of thousands of pounds – here’s what you need to do now.
